Green habits consigned to double-standards dustbin as employees adopt wasteful ways at work

Environmentally conscious employees are Jekyll and Hyde’s when it comes to the workplace and their home, a survey has shown.

Seven out of 10 of the 1,800 workers surveyed by government advisory body Envirowise said they were proactive when it came to being environmentally friendly at home. But a third of those admitted to disregarding green issues at work and taking no action to reduce waste.

Professor Toby Wall, director of the Institute of Work Psychology, said: “This is a symptom of our pressurised workplaces where there is often too little time or encouragement for people to take action on waste.”

He said employers should help promote environmentally friendly practices at work and encourage workers to take more ownership of green issues.

He suggested appointing a “waste-busting” champion to help encourage recycling.

A third of respondents said the absence of clear environmental policies was an excuse for wasteful behaviour, and 59% said that access to more eco-friendly options at work – such as recycling bins – would promote more green behaviour.